old friend!

Friday I was up so early, that by 9:30, I was ready for a break from exam writing. I went to a yin class ready to sweat, and then found out its not the hot kind. I go into the studio, and there is Sandra! I broke my own rule of not talking in the studio, even though other people do, especially in this one, even the instructors! Loudly! It was so nice to see her and catch up a little, though. The class was good. I did shake, while holding some loong stretches and pushing myself, but I did not break a sweat, just gentle hip and hammy stretching.
Since that one was so easy, I went back for the later one. It was pretty good, but more weird, backward triangles and things I didn't get. My hamstrings and quads were worked and weak from the morning class. I could barely kneel at all. I poured sweat all over the place, in puddles around the mat. But it wasn't so hot, really. I enjoyed it very much. Finally, the pain is gone. Not limping, not aching in the joints. Five classes and I'm back to myself.

sweaty shaky

I was spewing out sweat tonight! I liked the less downward dogs, interesting super low eagle, and new way to practice camel that is easier to get into. Plank and side plank were harder than yesterday and I feel it in the sides of my ribs in front, it feels like someones chewed on the bones and they're bruised, but its nice, I know its a good hurt. We did some postures from warrior that were frustrating kneeling on one foot and keeping hips low and square that just huurt my kneecaps. I got the stretch, but meanwhile my kneecaps were shouting! Floor was too short, my knee did something weird in insect, and the twisted knee stack over to one side one is painful when it used to be such a release. Need to do those more often, I guess...so glad I went, good stretches, just hard to follow some of them.

stretching out the aches

Im back at yoga. I found another place in town where they use a warm room. My body is happy already. I've been to two classes. I am sore in the little muscles again, sore in the right places, not so sore in the big ones. My hip and back pain is backing off quick. Its taking me back to 2000 in my mind when I took yoga across the street from the coffee shop I worked at on Main and Broadway in a little tiny upstairs studio. I swear it was called the smiling buddha. I dont trust my memory from that era of skateboard head cracks to the pavement and hitting all the other wrong things hard, but I remember doing dragonflies and feeling pretty damn good about that.

Its back to the classics: downward dogs, ujjayi breathing, childs poses, planks and proper triangles. I'm working hard, but my shoulder is killing me, tonight it was my wrist. It isn't hot, but it is warm. It's a 'hot flow class', and its nice to sweat but not struggle. I challenge myself to my limit, and sometimes that turns to shaking muscle struggle, but not in the same ultra super lucky happy eights special extreme way as the Bikrams.

indoor day!

I went up to the pool this morning, cos my house is too cold to shower in right now. I am not getting into the groove of lighting fires, I don't know why I can't get the hang of it. I can light a campfire no problem, but I can't stack the wood the same inside this fireplace! Anyway...
I sat in the steam room for ten minutes, it was great. I was intense. It was magical. There was one man in there, and he was chanting, very quietly, but the echo combined with my sub par hearing made it pretty phenomenal. He chanted the whole time. It made a mundane and kind of difficult experience excellent. Thanks, chanting man!
Then I went into the gym and ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes. I went 5.4 kms. I ran slow. My knees ached a little, but it felt so good to sweat, and I didnt get out of breathe at all, even when I cranked up the pace. Then I went to meet with school project friends in the cafeteria.
I miss yoga, though. My muscles and tendons and ligaments are dying for stretchies! They hijack me and force me to stretch them at odd times. Soon, there is a bunch of equipment in there today. Soon.

oh no!

MASSIVE FLOOD in the yoga studio!
Luke is making fun of me because I am kind of freaking out! No yoga...for how long? Can they find an alternate place to do it? When can I go again? I am having awesome pain free skate sessions! I am learning new things! It cannot stop now! There is no way I can switch back to running right now with these arctic winds blowing through here. Oh dear...can't wait to see what happens next.

16

Yeah so I might have over done it a little tonight, or maybe I didnt. Its rare that I come out of the place with a pinch. But I pretty much bent myself right in half in the 'I'm flying!' one. I will live and go back Monday and fix it. I did pretty well tonight. I stood behind the super serious, but really good lady. I decided it was up to me to help her not be so serious and enjoy her yoga more. I had an awkward moment when I first got there, and I chose a new place to be, more in the middle of the room, about four spaces away from the side and in the third of four rows back from the front. I was expecting a capacity class, so I unrolled my mat fairly near to this other serious guy. He's the guy who gets there super early and does a practice before practice. I usually just fuff him in my head, and lay still and try to not notice him as I use the pre time to relax into the floor and get loose and calm and ready. Well he stopped what he was doing and watched me unroll. When I walked to the back to hang my pants over the barre, he picked up his kit and moved up to the front. I decided right then to confront him after class and kill 'eem wid kindness, brah. But I felt weird for awhile and had a harder time relaxing. Was I wrong to want to prepare for a crowd, so I could lay still until class started and relax without feeling space hoggy, and having to do the shuffle shuffle every time another person was trying to wedge themselves in? No I wasn't. But I am new. The etiquette is beyond me still.

Class went well. Ended up only being 3 rows. I moved my mat up a bit, and over, so I was staggered in between serious 1 and serious 2 in the mirror. New guy beside me, 2 newbies behind me. One of whom, I overheard feeling a little cocky about manning through the heat of class, cos "I was in Afganistan". Well, that made me eager to see if he would make it, didn't it? Schadenfreude, here I come!

Great class. I worked really hard. I had to. In front I had the seriouso's and behind I had people falling all over the place. Focus and struggle. I shook, and was so glad I wore a tank top. Last time I shook like that I was all jello in the tum and it made me want to barf and then eat and then barf, etc. Not really, but when you stand in front of a mirror behind someone who measures and weighs and portion controls like serious 1 and 2 quite obviously must, you get to feel a bit jiggledy, even when you look as rad as I do!

I cheered myself on, and smiled alot, and laughed and listened to the instructor's cheesy jokes, and sometimes very cool things to remember to tell myself, like "this is yoga practice, not yoga perfect". I stuck my butt out further in awkward 1. I see people that think they are awesome get super low, but lean way forward. Well, I could do that, but it is so much harder if I don't.Worked on form. I am starting to loathe triangles and also at the end where you hold your toes and pull. I might have tried too hard. Hence the current back owes. Oh well. I'm starving. I could go on. I was so present hat I actually remember it all. Important for me to remember:

-Engage abdominal muscles on all forward bends. It is nearly impossible for me to keep it tight, so thats one thing to work on, and it will remove the back owes. Too much strength in back, not enough in front is what is causing the mayhem.

- Fuckin' BREATHE! When I have to choke my throat, I dont want to cos it feels gross, but I must.

-Lock knee. Keep trying. It hurts, still. It shakes, and bounces itself out. It doesn't like to be locked, it tells me it hurts. Keep trying. I did it for a few moments in a few of the postures and felt an immediate difference in the strength and groundedness in the posture, it was like a concrete lightning bolt shot down my leg for about five seconds, and nothing could have moved me.

-keep smiling. It is helping.

fifteeny

I am losing count, and good things are happening. My PMA is kicking in full swing. I realised today that I was feeling pain in my hip for the first time in awhile-I never want to miss yoga again!
I can clearly see certain muscles-in my legs, mind you, no taut tummy for me, maybe ever, but she's lookin good:) Smiling comes easier now, during class. Sure, I had a little near pass out tonight, but only cos I rocked pulling bow. The whole floor series was a cinch tonight. Camel was no nig deal. It felt great! Bent back, looking at the wall. Couldnt find my feet to reach down, so I kept my hands firmly planted behind my hips. Just awesome.
Can't wait til tomorrow!